The famed Malabar Chicken Biryani is made by layering an aromatic and herby chicken masala with fluffy rice, crunchy fried onions (birista), nuts, dried fruits and ghee in a large pot. This is then sealed and cooked slowly in steam (dum method) to get this incredibly aromatic and toothsome chicken biryani that is quite literally the stuff of legends.
You will need:
For biryani masala,
Cinnamon - Two 2” sticks
Cloves - 6-8
Cardamom pods - 5-6
Mace - a small piece (dried skin of nutmeg)
Nutmeg - a small piece, around ½ tsp (whole, not powdered)
Biryani Masala: Add all the biryani masala ingredients to a large skillet and roast gently on low heat until fragrant. Cool and grind to a semi-fine powder. Store in an airtight bottle until needed. You can easily scale the recipe up to make a large batch of this masala.
Chicken Masala: Cut up the chicken into large pieces. Wash in water and drain water completely.
In a large bowl, rub the chicken liberally with the marinade ingredients. Cover tightly with lid and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight, if possible. Take the chicken out and bring to room temperature before preparing the chicken masala.
For chicken masala, make sure you have all the ingredients on hand before starting. Make a paste of cilantro, mint and green chilies by grinding with a little water. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large, thick-bottomed pan like a Dutch oven or kadhai. Add onions and saute until lightly browned. This will take a while because we have a lot of onions, but keep stirring once in a while to prevent onions from burning or sticking to the bottom.
Then add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes away. Keep stirring and saute until onions are fully browned.
Now add the prepared cilantro-mint-chili paste and mix well. Stir and cook until the mixture is thickened and dark. Now, the base for our chicken masala is done.
Add the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook for a couple of minutes per side to seal the juices.
Add biryani masala and the rest of the marinade. Stir to combine everything well and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add water and salt to taste. Reduce heat once the curry comes to a gentle boil, cover and let it cook until the chicken is tender, around 20-30 minutes or more, depending on the size of the pieces. Keep stirring the curry once in a while.
Open the lid and thicken the gravy to your liking. Taste and adjust seasoning. The chicken masala can be prepared a day or two in advance and refrigerated until needed.
Biryani Rice: While the chicken is cooking away, you can start on the rice. Wash rice well in cold water 2-3 times or until the water runs clear. Drain rice in a sieve.
Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a large skillet. Add the drained rice and toast on medium heat, stirring constantly. All the rice should be nicely coated with ghee. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place a large pan on medium heat and heat 1 tbsp of ghee. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaves and fry them lightly.
Now add water, salt and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and add the toasted rice. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until rice is almost done, but not mushy.
Drain rice immediately and discard the cooking liquid. Fluff rice gently and spread on a large platter or baking sheet to cool slightly.
Garnishes: Heat oil in a pan. Add cashew nuts and raisins and fry until raisins are puffy and cashew nuts are golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside.
In the same oil, fry the sliced onions until fully browned. Drain onto a paper towel lined plate. As it cools, the onions will crisp up. The fried onions or birista can be made and stored several days ahead.
Dum Cooking: Select a deep, thick-bottomed pan like a Dutch oven or pressure cooker. Make sure the pan is oven-safe if you decide to use the oven for dum cooking the biryani.
Spread a tablespoon of ghee in the bottom, and then a thin layer of chicken gravy in the pan. Spread half of the rice on top. Arrange the chicken pieces on top along with some of the gravy. Sprinkle half of the garnishes (fried onions, nuts, raisins, chopped cilantro and mint leaves) on the chicken. Spread the rest of the rice on top. Sprinkle the rest of the garnishes over the rice. Sprinkle a teaspoon of biryani masala powder, if you have any left over. Dollop the last tablespoon of ghee on top.
Cover the pan tightly with foil, then with a heavy lid. Cook biryani on low heat placing the pan over a heat diffuser for 20 minutes. Or you can bake for 20 minutes in an oven that has been pre-heated to 325 deg.F.
Serving: Let the prepared biryani sit for 10 minutes before removing the lid. Gently fluff the biryani to combine everything together. Serve with sides like raita, chutneys, pickles, pappads, etc. The chicken biryani is usually served with a boiled egg on top.
Notes:
1. I have made my own biryani masala or garam masala here, but you can use store-bought ones too. You can easily make a large batch of masala for a few rounds of biryani-making.
Recipe by At The Corner of Happy And Harried at https://www.happyandharried.com/2018/07/09/malabar-chicken-biryani/